Title 18, Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-102
§1702 Obstruction of Correspondence
Title 18 › PART I — CRIMES › CHAPTER 83 — POSTAL SERVICE › § 1702
Summary
Taking mail before it’s delivered — from a post office, an authorized mail drop, or a mail carrier — to block it or to pry into someone’s business, or opening, hiding, stealing, or destroying it, is a crime. It can be punished by a federal fine, up to five years in prison, or both.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §1702
Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Whoever takes any letter, postal card, or package out of any post office or any authorized depository for mail matter, or from any letter or mail carrier, or which has been in any post office or authorized depository, or in the custody of any letter or mail carrier, before it has been delivered to the person to whom it was directed, with design to obstruct the correspondence, or to pry into the business or secrets of another, or opens, secretes, embezzles, or destroys the same, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 317 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 194, 35 Stat. 1125; Feb. 25, 1925, ch. 318, 43 Stat. 977; Aug. 26, 1935, ch. 693, 49 Stat. 867; Aug. 7, 1939, ch. 557, 53 Stat. 1256). section 317 of said title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., was incorporated in this and section 1708 of this title. Minor changes were made in phraseology.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $2,000”.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 1702
Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102